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Illuminated folio from a Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (c. 1213–1291)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
In the border surrounding the Persian poetical text, deer and a lion coexist peacefully in a forest. This imagery may reference the rule of a righteous king. The text is from the Gulistan , one of the most celebrated works of Persian literature, completed around 1258. Gulistan means “Rose Garden” in Persian; just as a rose garden is a collection of flowers, the contents are a collection of anecdotes. This page is from the section “On the Conduct of Kings.”
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineIlluminated folio from a Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (c. 1213–1291), about 1475–1500; border: about 1550. Calligraphy by Sultan 'Ali al-Mashadi (Iranian, 1430–1520). Gum tempera, ink, gold, and silver on paper; overall: 30 x 19 cm (11 13/16 x 7 1/2 in.); text area: 16.1 x 9.6 cm (6 5/16 x 3 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of William Kelly Simpson in memory of his wife Marilyn M. Simpson and her grandparents Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller Jr., 2006.148.b
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